9 thoughts on “True service in Japan Starbucks”

The original piece of tripe has been on Starbuck’s walls since at least 2006. It is far more banal and less Hello Kitty engrish-y, meh

Hopping out of bed and thinking about
the one thing
that will make the morning sun a little
brighter
that will make the birds sing a little more
enthusiastically, that will make the crisp
air seem a little crisper and that will
make my day before the day even really starts.

The reason I was at Starbucks is that Japan is absolutely the WORST country in the developed world* for finding open/free WiFi connections, and Starbucks is one of the few locations where you are certain to find WiFi.
Be sure to sign up for free Starbucks WiFi before† vacationing to Japan.

* Low-tech Japan has such great (but pricey) cellphone coverage that free WiFi never caught on, and evil Japan Inc. likes it that way, meh.

† Access to Starbucks’ WiFi requires registration. The one downside is that you need an Internet connection to be able to complete the registration process Therefore, you must have a smartphone that already has connectivity (with hideously expensive roaming charges) or you cannot buy your coffee and use the WiFi service then-&-there. This can be avoided, however, by registering before heading out for your: Iced, grande, fake sugar-free, non-fat, vanilla soy, double shot, decaffeinated, no foam, Peppermint White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha with light whip, upside-down, 1/2 pump of peppermint, 1 and 3/8 pumps vanilla, heavy whip-cream, 3 ice cubes, 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg sprinkled on top, with green sprinkles, light cinnamon dusted on, stirred, with no lid, double cupped, and double-straws.

Thanks for sharing this. The wife and I are thinking about spending a nice and relaxed summer vacation in Atami. We figure with the cheap yen now and nice weather should give us just the right balance for all of the WTF that lies not too far outside the perimeter…We don’t think that it will be too crowded between holidays, but weekends could be the equivalent of Shibuya-On-The-Beach Amiright?

Mike Armstrong wrote:
… thinking about spending a nice and relaxed summer vacation in Atami…don’t think that it will be too crowded between holidays, but weekends could be the equivalent of Shibuya-On-The-Beach Amiright?

I’ve been in even more fun Japanese pools than that. While laughing at the edge on one these packed pools, a girl tried to pull herself up and out of the water but the crowd pushed her by halfway back in. In the process, she ended up putting her bikini butt into my laughing mouth. I was hee-hawing so hard I bit her on her tight tush. She just laughed about it.

What is your point? I have been reading Howard Schultz’ new book “Onward”. He talks a lot about a company culture that has lost touch with the customers. I can see improvements from the last time I was in America, but from a customer standpoint, that first experience is so important. Starbucks Co. has a lot to learn from their little brother Starbucks Japan Ltd. and maybe even other Starbucks from around the world. Japan has perfected the meaning of “customer service”. When ever I go to from my daily fix of Starbucks, I end up feeling connected not only to my coffee but also to the people who make it so wonderful.

Starbucks—Shiga Kogen highlands in Nagano Pref…at a preview the day before its limited period opening…at an altitude of 2,306 meters, it’s the highest among all the company’s outlets in Japan.
— House‘o’Japan | 2013-December-19